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Godís Own ran much better in the Champion Chase than his finishing position in fifth place suggests.

Tom Georgeís horse travelled and jumped well for Paddy Brennan until they got to the fourth last fence, the final ditch, which he got all wrong. He tried to bank it and, after going into the fence disputing third place and travelling well, he came out of it eighth place and struggling to recover his position.

Moved towards the outside on the run down the hill, he travelled well again to the third last fence, jumped that well and moved into second place behind the leader and ultimate winner Special Tiara on the run around the home turn. He got the second last fence wrong as well, again he tried to bank it and suddenly he was treading water. It may have been that he was tiring anyway, he had had to do a lot of running after his mistake at the fourth last to get back into a challenging position, but that mistake at the second last was the final nail in his challenge, and he just kept on up the hill, just holding on to fifth place from the fast-finishing Traffic Fluide.

Godís Own will be of interest now if he goes to Aintree, and he will be of even greater interest if he goes to Punchestown. This was his first run since he finished third, beaten just over a length by Un De Sceaux, in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in early December, so there is every chance that he can improve for it anyway. He is a spring horse.

He usually runs well at the Cheltenham Festival without winning (his record there now reads 245) but he often does better at Aintree (he has finished second in the Maghull Chase and won a Melling Chase in two runs at the Grand National meeting) and he does even better at Punchestown, where he is two for two. He sprang a 25/1 shock there in 2014 when he won the Ryanair Novice Chase, and he beat Vautour and Simonsig and Special Tiara there last year in the Champion Chase. He does tend to jump to his right sometimes, so Punchestown suits him well, and he seems to enjoy the spring weather and the spring ground. He is nine years old now, but this run suggests that he is as good as ever, when you allow for those two jumping errors, and he is a horse who should be worth keeping on side for a little while longer.

The general consensus after the Neptune Hurdle on Wednesday was that, if Neon Wolf had not stumbled on landing over the final flight, he probably would have beaten the winner Willoughby Court. But that may not have been the case.

Neon Wolf had plenty of time to get past Ben Pauling’s horse. He raced up with the leader as they started around the home turn, but he was no closer to him as they approached the final flight than he was on the crown of the home turn. Indeed, on the approach to the final flight it looked, if anything, as if Willoughby Court was putting a little more distance between them. Neon Wolf did stumble a little on landing over the last, and he was at least a length down when he switched to the far side. He did close that gap to a head, but he wasn’t closing any more inside the last 50 yards. Willoughby Court is tough, he was always holding the favourite, and he left the impression that, if they had had to go another 100 yards, or 200 yards, or 300 yards, he still would have been in front.

Both horses are obviously highly talented, they pulled almost four lengths clear of the third horse Messire Des Obeaux, a Grade 1 winner. However, it may be that the runner-up will be considered an unlucky loser and, consequently, the winner may not get due credit. He was allowed an easy lead, David Bass was able to set his own fractions, but he is a horse who stays well and there is every reason to expect that he could do at least as well off a strong pace.

Winner of two of his four bumpers and fifth in the Grade 2 Aintree bumper last season, Paul and Clare Rooney’s horse has only been beaten once now in four runs over hurdles, and that was on his hurdling debut at Market Rasen, when he raced in a tongue-tie for the first and only time. He then won his maiden and followed up by landing the Grade 2 Leamington Hurdle at Warwick in January, in which he beat Gayebury and Peregrine Run. That was his last run before he went to Cheltenham and won the Neptune Hurdle.

By Court Cave, he is out of a half-sister to high-class staying chaser Nil Desperandum, so it is surely as a staying chaser that his future lies. In the meantime, he will be of interest in staying novice hurdles between now and the end of the season. He could be under-rated next time he races, and he will be of interest wherever he goes. He did have the Albert Bartlett Hurdle over three miles as an alternative option at Cheltenham, and he would be interesting if he stepped up to three miles for the Sefton Hurdle at Aintree.

Gordon said that he thought Labaik started this time because they use a long Tom at Cheltenham to encourage them. This isn't allowed in Ireland and I'd be unwilling to back him at short prices over there until he's actually got into the race.